DVD Review: G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1

TV Show Info:
Creator: Larry Hama
Writers: Ron Friedman, Steve Mitchell, Barbara Petty, Christy Marx, Paul Dini, Kimmer Ringwald, Ted Pederson, Mary Skrenes
Directors: Various
Cast: Michael Bell, Arthur Burghardt, Chris Latta, B.J. Ward, Morgan Lofting, Marla Frumkin Scott, John Stephenson, Frank Welker, Neil Ross, Zack Hoffman, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Morgan Lofting,
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Shout! Factory

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 12, 1983-October 1, 1985
DVD Box Set Release Date: July 14, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

The 80s was the best time to grow up. That’s because the 80s had the best cartoons. I would have loved to watch G.I. Joe. I was the perfect age for this kind of show, yet I never watched it. That was because one of my parents decided G.I. Joe was bad. They believed that the show glorified and promoted war, without even having seem an episode. While I could watch shows like Transformers (weren’t they always at war? Decepticons vs. Autobots?) and He-Man (who was always fighting the forces of evil, too), since G.I. Joe featured ‘real men’ in cartoon form, who just happened to be a part of a special sector of the military, my brother and I were banned from watching this show.

That doesn’t mean we never saw it. We had neighbors and friends who were allowed to watch the show. Actually, we didn’t know any other kids in our neighborhood who were banned from watching G.I. Joe. Some of the other kids would even laugh when we told them why we couldn’t watch the show. We’d sometimes watch it at their houses anyway. I saw brief glimpses of the show and because I was banned from it, it made me want to watch the series even more.

Regardless, I’m now grown. I can watch G.I. Joe if I want to. I can let my kids watch G.I. Joe if they want to watch it, as well. Seriously, with as much about Iraq as this generation has seen on TV, the Joes are actually pretty good role models. When something bad happens in the world, sometimes the good guys have to fix the problem. I’d rather have my kids (yes, even the ones between 2-6, which is how old I was when the first G.I. Joe miniseries premiered until the end of the television show) watching a show about the All-American Hero then have them watching the news. It’s a cartoon and it’s not even really about war, per se. It’s more about military men stopping evil forces taking over the world. Now how many television series came out of the 80s with that message? Yep, more than I can count, too.

I was actually really excited to watch the 22 episodes compiled in the G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 box set. Call me a guy just trying to re-live his childhood in a much cooler way, because really, that’s what I am! I even had Ash watch the episodes with me. She’d never seen G.I. Joe because she was too busy watching The Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake and other shows that were big in the 80s. G.I Joe really wasn’t her forte back then.

You know what I’ve discovered? G.I. Joe is really interesting. It’s entertaining. The show doesn’t talk down to kids like so many other cartoons do, but it has elements of 80s humor and pop culture that would appeal and speak to kids. I credit this to Ron Friedman. It was his goal to write G.I. Joe with the vision that it spoke to children in a way they’d understand. As a child of the 80s, I get the message loud and clear.

What’s interesting about this set is that this isn’t just the first 12 episodes from the G.I. Joe series. There are five episodes from the G.I. Joe A Real American Hero miniseries (it only had five episodes), which aired in 1983 and the follow up, five episode miniseries, The Revenge of Cobra, which aired in 1984. The television show subsequently aired throughout 1985 and 1986. In all honesty, this Season 1.1 box set contains a whole lot more fans of the Joes can enjoy. This set is also a great way to introduce new audiences (the new generation) to the real American hero!

The G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 Episode Guide
The G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 box set is comprised of four discs. Disc One is made up of the five part miniseries, “A Real American Hero: The M.A.S.S. Device.” Disc Two contains a five part miniseries called, The Revenge of Cobra. Disc Three is the five part episode opener for the G.I. Joe television series, which debuted in 1985. Finally, Disc Four offers seven episodes from season one of the 1985 series.

Note: In Disc Two, the phrase ‘Yo Joe’ gets a bit repetitive (to the point of overkill), but this is about the only complaint I have. Disc One I don’t remember it being used at all!

While the show has the occasional cheesy line/moment (Duke likes to call people meathead, for example – Remember the 80s, when calling people Pizza breath (and other food related names) was cool?), those lines are actually rather endearing! There aren’t enough of them to make the show a total cheesefest and I get that 80s nostalgia feeling when I watch this because the dialogue is so 80s!

With those little tidbits discussed, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the DVD, the episodes! Here is a list and synopsis of each of the 22 episodes as they are spread out across four discs.

DISC ONE

“The Cobra Strikes”
Original Air Date: September 12, 1983
The show starts with a brief introduction to the G.I. Joes, a group of men (and women) who fight for America’s freedom. It isn’t long before Cobra is attacking the G.I. Joe base, and Duke is certain Cobra is up to something. In the meantime, the military must answer to the Pentagon, who want to know how capable the Joes are. Cobra Commander and Destro work together in a plan to take over the world. Destro develops a weapon for Cobra, the M.A.S.S. device. This weapon is capable of transporting whatever Cobra needs to win against the Joes (troops, weapons, etc.) to anywhere in the world. When Cobra steals one of the U.S. military satellites, it’s up to the Joes to get it back, but when Duke is captured with the intent to make him one of Cobra’s mindless slaves, the stakes in this mission rise.

“Slave of the Cobra Master”
Original Air Date: September 13, 1983
Duke is forced with the headband device to fight in the Cobra arena at Cobra Mountain. Being under Destro’s control leaves Duke vulnerable to the attack of the arena gladiator. When Destro turns the headband off, Duke is able to defend himself, but he cannot go far. Dr. Vandermere, who was working on the original M.A.S.S. device, helps the Joes to construct a new one. Unfortunately, they must go to the ends of the Earth to find the three elements that power the M.A.S.S. device. In the meantime, Duke gets assistance from another slave named Selena, who shows him how to deactivate the power the headband has over him (and in turn escape), though it will cause him excessive amounts of pain.

“The Worms of Death”
Original Air Date: September 14, 1983
Snake Eyes has managed to escape with the crystal element, despite being trapped in a radioactive trap set by Cobra. Poisoned by the radiation, he can barely move let alone survive in the harsh Arctic conditions. Luckily, he’s found by a strange man who seeks to help him, and manages to get him out of the cold. Duke keeps trying to remember where Cobra’s headquarters is, but all he can remember is the face of the girl who helped him. The Joes head into the depths of the ocean, to retrieve the heavy-water element. Within the depths of the ocean they find the element and Cobra, but when these massive, underwater worms attack them, the only way to escape is for the Joes and Cobra to team up.

“Duel in the Devil’s Cauldron”
Original Air Date: September 15, 1983
Stalker tells the Joes that he’s been ordered to assemble the team and have the Joes surrender to Cobra (who has threatened to destroy New York City if they don’t). Cobra Commander and Destro are listening in and Cobra Commander is certain that they’ve won, but Destro won’t be satisfied until they have more of the third element. Breaker had discovered Cobra was listening in, so the Joes actually planned the ‘fake surrender’ in order to get the third element without Cobra’s interruption. Cobra has used up all of the third element, so Destro and his crew must fight the Joes in a head to head, all out battle. Of course, when Scarlett is kidnapped the Joes must do whatever it takes to get her back.

“A Stake in the Serpent’s Heart”
Original Air Date: September 16, 1983
After Scarlett helps to save Destro and herself, she is taken by Cobra and it isn’t long before she’s wearing a headband, making her a slave in the process. Scarlett recognizes Duke’s ring on Selena. The two team up to lead a slave revolt. The doctor gets the M.A.S.S. Device in working order, so the Joes set out in a final showdown between them and the Cobra team. Destro has a second plan, having made the leaders of the world his slaves, who he plans to execute in the event his plans are foiled. When the action is brought to Cobra Mountain, it’s an all out battle of good vs. evil!

DISC TWO

“In the Cobra’s Pit”
Original Air Date: September 10, 1984
When the G.I. Joes are transporting the laser core, Cobra attacks their convoy. The Cobra team captures the laser core along with Duke and Snake Eyes. The Joes capture Cobra Commander, taking him to Blackwater Prison. Before Col. Sharpp can meet them at the prison, he is kidnapped by Zartan and the Dreadnoks. Zartan is able to transform himself into the Colonel. At the prison, Zartan and Baroness break Cobra Commander out. When the Joes who captured him realize they are escaping, they chase them into the swamps where they disappear. In the Meantime, Flint and Scarlett lead their sky squadrons on a mission to go after the laser and try to save Duke and Snake Eyes. The only problem is that Destro has developed a Weather Dominator, which becomes unstoppable (controlling the forces of nature) when hooked up to the laser core. Of course, Cobra Commander lets the world know he’s ready to take over the world, again.

“The Vines of Evil”
Original Air Date: September 11, 1984
When the Weather Dominator make Flint, Roadblock, Mutt and Junkyard crash in “In the Cobra’s Pit,” they are sent into the Pit of Chaos. There, they are attacked by killer creeper vines. At the start of this episode, they use the Sky Striker’s jets to fend off the vines, all while trying to work out a plan of escape. Duke and Snake Eyes fight in Cobra Arena. They also manage to get a message to the Joes HQ warning of an impending weather attack on Washington D.C. As the city is evacuated, Doc’s energy mirrors deflect the power of the Weather Dominator, causing it to backfire and break the weapon into fragments. Back in the Pit, Roadblock is captured by the vines. The rest manage to escape, crash in a Cobra controlled area, and steal uniforms. However, when a sandstorm interrupts their escape, Mutt is thrown overboard, leaving two men down.

“The Palace of Doom”
Original Air Date: September 12, 1984
The Joes must hide under the skiff until the sandstorm ends and then they return to HQ. Roadblock, having escaped the vines, steals a ride on a truck. In it, he finds a tied up woman named Honda Lou West. The Joes and Cobra set out for the Island of No Return, where they are trying to get the ion corrilator. At the island, the two groups are sucked into a whirlpool, but the Joes manage to escape. Spirit heads to the island, duking it out for the fragment with Storm Shadow. Major Bludd and the Cobra team head through the jungle to get the hydromaster, in the Palace of Doom. When the Joes parachute into the palace, a ginormous robot snake sets out to stop them, but the surprise is that the palace is booby trapped!

Note: The best line ever from this series is in this episode.

Doc: “Don’t worry; I’m wearing my asbestos underwear!”

“Battle on the Roof of the World”
Original Air Date: September 13, 1984
The Weather Dominator leads to unstable weather patterns near the palace. The weather causes an Earthquake, and some of the Joes are caught in the thick of it. When the Joes lose the fragment, Major Bludd is sure to take it for himself. Storm Shadow gets trapped with Spirit in a cavern with limited air supply, on the island. When Spirit saves Storm Shadow, he lets Spirit have the fragment. The truck with Roadblock in it ends up at the Cobra temple. The Joes must find the laser core,which is on the Roof of the World. Cobra, Zartan (and his gang) and the Joes fight for it. The laser core is involved in a hockey style game between Cobra and the Joes, but when the Drednoks interrupt to steal it, the Joes’ biggest challenge turns out to be an avalanche.

“Amusement Park of Terror”
Original Air Date: September 14, 1984
Roadblock and Honda Lou try to remain inconspicuous as they break into Cobra Commander’s control room. When they are captured they are taken to where Duke and Snake Eyes are battling against electric snakes (in the Arena). With the power of four on their side, they find a way to escape. Zartan has the laser core at his hideout, an amusement park in the thick of the bayou. When he contacts both Cobra and the Joes, to negotiate, they both intercept the signal and track down his location. Storm Shadow steals the ion corrilator while at the Joe HQ. While the Cobra’s are being attacked, Ripcord and Breaker parachute into the park, destroying the power generator. As the Joes arrive, Destro captures Zartan, who gives him the laser core. With Duke sending out a tracking signal to bring the Joes to the Cobra Temple, an all out assault between good and evil breaks out with the fate of the world and it’s weather at stake.

DISC THREE

“The Pyramid of Darkness Part 1″
Original Air Date: September 16, 1985
The Joes are accompanying a space shuttle to a launch pad. The shuttle is heading to Space Station Delta. Cobra attacks, but the Joes are prepared. Cobra retreats, but not before slipping some cargo onto the shuttle. The Crimson Twins and Cobra Commander escape underwater, with the help of water robots. The Joes head underwater led by Shipwreck and Snake Eyes. Roadblock manages to distract the robots, when Snake Eyes and Shipwreck are hit, so they can head into the underwater Cobra Headquarters, disguise themselves as Cobra forces, and get themselves in trouble. In the air, Lady Jaye and Flint chase Destro in his Rattler. When he disappears into thin air, they have no choice but to return to Joe HQ. The extra weight is weighing the shuttle down. The addition includes something called Fatal Fluffies, who are controlled by Zartan (disguised as a Joe) and the Dreadnoks. Worried about the space shuttle and Delta, the Joe HQ is relieved when they hear from the station, but this has disastrous results. It’s just another part of Cobra’s plan to create a Pyramid of Darkness.

“The Pyramid of Darkness Part 2″
Original Air Date: September 17, 1985
Shipwreck’s canary, Polly, is able to input the password, letting them into the control cube factory. Shipwreck puts a tracker on a control cube. He and Snake Eyes steal a laser disc with the plans for the cubes, as well, though they must soon plan their escape. The Joes make their temporary HQ on a aircraft carrier, run by an old school officer not fond of women in the force. The tracker leads them to The Devil’s Playground, a volcano where Destro is taking the cube. In space on Delta, the Joes are forced to work for the Fluffies and Dreadnoks. Dusty creates a diversion, playing with the gravity controls and attempting to get to the communications room where Zartan has been making big plans. Dusty is captured again, but not before seeing Cobra’s plans. At the volcano, the Joes attack. Flint and Lady Jaye are shot down. As Destro attempts to align the cube, these two are forced into the lava.

“The Pyramid of Darkness Part 3″
Original Air Date: September 18, 1985
Lady Jaye manages to save herself and Flint from the lava with a bubble javelin. Their freedom is short lived, when they attempt to take the cube, but are captured by its tentacles. Shipwreck and Snake Eyes are in the ghetto, where they are being pursued. To evade capture, they duck into a nightclub and meet the singer, Satin. She hides them and they are able to escape. Oh, but not before Snake Eyes breakdances! The Crimson Twins head to the City of the Dead, where they align the second cube. Roadblock, Airtight, and Footloose head in after them, but are stopped by awakening the Ancient Guardians, giant statues that guard the temple. The twins think this will give them time to align the cube, but they can’t anticipate what the temple holds in store for them. On the mountain of Glass, Major Bludd is aligning the third cube when the Joes (Bazooka and Apline) show up. They are lost in an avalanche attempting to stop Cobra. Finally, on Delta, Zartan attempts to activate the cubes, as the Joes try to stop him.

To continue reading this review, go to Page Two…

“The Pyramid of Darkness Part 4″
Original Air Date: September 19, 1985
Bazooka and Alpine are saved from their icy retreat, the Cobra team (led by Storm Shadow) and those crazy leopard seals, by a stunt man named Quick Kick, who is in the area filming a fudgy bar commercial. Bludd manages to activate the third cube before they can stop him, so they hitch a ride to Cobra temple on Bludd’s tank like vehicle. The Joes have captured a Crimson Twin (Tomax). His twin Xamot comes after him, having sensed his brother’s presence. Cobra Commander tells the Crimson Twins he won’t be deploying the pyramid until the twins are reunited, but he plans to break his promise. Satin, who has a personal vendetta against Cobra Commander, sneaks Shipwreck and Snake Eyes out by dressing them up in costumes (Snake Eyes is a woman). In the Sea of Lost Souls, the carrier heads to stop Cobra from planting the last cube. Lady Jaye and Flint fly ahead to try and stop Baroness and Destro. When Lady Jaye fails to stop Destro from aligning the cube, the energy power around the world stops (unless Cobra Commander allows it to work), with the pyramid now complete. The Crimson Twins have allies in space who take over Delta from Zartan. It seems like the Joes hope is in the hands of Bazooka, Alpine and Quick Kick, who steal a Cobra plane. Of course, this wouldn’t be G.I. Joe without a disaster, and the illusion that all hope is lost.

“The Pyramid of Darkness Part 5″
Original Air Date: September 20, 1985
Bazooka, Alpine and Quick Kick manage to escape before they can crash. With all other power lost, they take over a Cobra chopper. On Delta, Junkyard steals the whistle from Torch that controls the fatal fluffies. With the whistle, the Joes make them harmless again. This allows them to take over Delta and destroy the pyramid. Shipwreck and Snake Eyes, must ride cows to the Joe HQ (newly built). They turn in the disc and are able to read it when power is restored. They find out that Cobra Temple is the location of the self-destruct device for the pyramid. With the Crimson Twins out of luck, Cobra Commander takes over and Destro sets up a new, unstable pyramid. Bazooka, Alpine and Quick Kick crash into the new HQ, and knowing where the Cobra Temple is, they launch an all out fight against Cobra there. What the Joes don’t expect is Cobra Dragon, and what Cobra doesn’t expect is Alpine’s ability to yodel! With the Joes intent on finding the self-destruct device to destroy the pyramid of darkness forever, it’s an all out battle to save the world!

DISC FOUR

“Countdown for Zartan”
Original Air Date: September 23, 1985
The Dreadnoks and Storm Shadow are training a group to be new Cobra soldiers. The Dreadnoks believe their way is better than Storm Shadow, but he proves them wrong. Cobra Commander and Destro are discussing how useful Storm Shadow and the Dreadnoks are, but it isn’t Cobra Commander, it’s Zartan in disguise. Seeing he’s able to fool even Destro, Cobra Commander replaces a French scientist, Dr. Metier, with Zartan. Dr. Metier is headed to the World Wide Defense Center, which is fighting to end terrorism. The doctor is supposed to help complete the terrorism database. Spirit senses something weird about the scientist. His investigation leads him to Storm Shadow, but Spirit is disarmed by Storm Shadow as Zartan plants a bomb in the Center. Freedom, Spirit’s eagle, heads to Joe HQ. He alerts them of the danger, and leads them back to the Center. The Joes discover Zartan’s plan and search for the bomb. Gung-Ho locks Zartan in a cell, right near his bomb, and he sets the watch ahead, to scare him. Zartan must decide between letting the bomb go off and potentially dying or giving up its location.

“Red Rocket’s Glare”
Original Air Date: September 24, 1985
Destro is in the jungle, at Cobra’s jungle temple. He’s waiting for the photon disintegrator, which is a missile warhead with major destructive capabilities, brought to him by a young native boy. The Joes, led by Recondo and Roadblock, attack. Destro is barely able to escape with the weapon, but the temple is destroyed. Recondo and Roadblock go to visit Roadblock’s (Marvin) aunt and uncle, at their restaurant (a Red Rocket Drive Thru restaurant). The customers aren’t showing up because some bikers with laser guns are running them off. These thugs (employed by the Crimson Twins) are chased off by the two Joes. This leads the Joes on a mission to find out about Extensive Enterprises, owners of the restaurant chain. When they discover who is behind the chain, Lady Jaye is put in a dangerous situation. In the meantime, Cobra Commander demands the governments of the world surrender or he will launch the missiles with the photon disintegrator on them. When the Joes find a link between the missile locations, the restaurants, Extensive Enterprises and Cobra, it’s up to them to stop the attack before it happens.

“Satellite Down”
Original Air Date: September 25, 1985
The Joes are using a new satellite to keep an eye on Cobra. Destro helps Cobra to pull the satellite out of orbit with a laser ray. The Joes make sure it crashes, so Cobra can’t have it and both the Joes and Cobra go after it. The Joes head to Africa where it has crashed, in a remote location where only one survivor has ever been found (and he isn’t playing with a full deck anymore). Cobra has a head start, but the Primords, a group of half-ape, half-human people stop them. They are worshiping the satellite, which fell out of the sky, as a new God. Storm Shadow tries to lead the Cobra’s to the satellite, but he senses a disturbing presence. Spirit, Lady Jaye, and the old man, McIntosh try to find the satellite for the Joe team, but when they are all surrounded by the Primords, it looks like both parties are in deep trouble.

“Cobra Stops the World”
Original Air Date: September 26, 1985
Cobra Commander makes it known that Cobra has taken over all of the world’s energy reserves. In the past 12 hours they’ve destroyed multiple energy resources. The governments of the worlds must all surrender to Cobra or the world will be thrust into darkness. The only hope left is a series of oil tankers. G.I. Joe has discovered a Cobra safe house. The Joes want to stop the organization before they do any more damage. The tankers have gone missing and Cobra plans to destroy one tanker for every hour that goes by where the governments have ceased to surrender. Cobra Commander isn’t worried about the Joes though because they’re bound to run out of fuel sooner or later. Cobra has a cloaking device and they destroy tankers via remote control, so it is up to the Joes to track down Cobra and prevent the tankers from being destroyed before all the world’s energy disappears.

“Jungle Trap”
Original Air Date: September 27, 1985
The Joes meet Dr. Shakur, who has developed a way to harness molten lava. To do that he’s developed the Vulcan Machine. The Joes are playing bodyguard to him, to protect him from Cobra, since the organization wanted to buy the machine and he refused to sell it. Zartan has tracked him down for Cobra Commander, and they ambush the Joes, with the help of the Dreadnoks. Cobra manages to kidnap the doctor, but the Joes have an idea he’s been taken into the most dangerous jungle in India to a Cobra temple there. Zartan puts a headband on Dr. Shakur making him a slave to Cobra. Cobra Commander plans to make the doctor use the Vulcan Machine to dump molten lava from the Earth’s core onto cities around the world. The only hope is for the Joes to find the temple, and get the doctor back before Cobra can finally destroy the world.

“Cobra’s Creatures”
Original Air Date: September 30, 1985
Flint is showing Mutt and Ripcord how to improve their eject techniques. Ripcord, Mutt and Junkyard end up disappearing and it is soon discovered, that they’ve been kidnapped by Cobra. Cobra Commander wants Dr. Lucifer, an evil scientist, to test his new invention, High Freq, on Junkyard. The invention controls the mind of any animal and/or insect. Cobra Commander tests it out by releasing Junkyard and having him attack Mutt. Cobra has bigger plans though.The Commander uses High Freq to take over an army of animals, which he plans to use to destroy the Joes and take over the world. In exchange for his services, Cobra Commander will break Lucifer’s love, Dr. Attilla out of a maximum security prison. When the Joes discover the plan, they send Scarlett in Attilla’s place, but Lucifer doesn’t buy it’s Attilla. In the end, the Joes not only have to stop Cobra Commander, they also have to save Ripcord, Mutt, Junkyard and Scarlett.

“The Funhouse”
Original Air Date: October 1, 1985
Zartan uses his powers to break into Lab Central in the evening. He sprays sleeping gas in the face Dr. Hibentrop, a scientist at the lab, and kidnaps him. At Joe HQ the Joes discuss the latest kidnappings. Five Scientists (1 botanist, 2 astronomers, 1 geologist and 1 biologist) have been kidnapped by Cobra and the Joes want to know why. Cobra Commander sends a message to the Joes. This time, he demands $60 Mil or the Joes will never see the scientists again. Luckily, Breaker is able to track his signal to South America. The Joes think this is too easy, and it might be a trap, but they head south anyway. In South America, at the Cobra fortress, Flint, L.J., Bazooka, Alpine, Tripwire, and Dusty manage to get inside. A metal door traps them in the Cobra Funhouse. This is a maze filled with traps and other harmful devices. At the end, the island where they are located is detonated to blow up, if they can make it to the end, that is.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
It’s obvious that Shout! Factory put a lot of work into restoring the episodes included in the G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 Four-Disc Box Set. The episodes are presented at a 4:3 aspect ratio and they look amazing, for the most part. Still, there were dirt specks present and the occasional instances of noise. This quality is only present in the episodes and PSAs.

Other bonuses have varying levels of visual quality, which I’ll discuss in the bonus section. The restoration gives these G.I. Joe episodes a fresh, new look with a vibrant, bright colored animation. The spectrum of colors here is excellent with sharp black tones and very few visual animation errors present. This is the best transfer of these episodes that you will find.

The audio for the episodes in the G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 set is decent. This English Dolby Digital Stereo mix is clear, crisp and makes excellent use of the speakers. Dialogue is crisp. The music, including that catchy G.I. Joe theme song is as clear as a bell. Sound effects make good use of the back speakers providing a surround element to the series. None of the sounds override one another so no volume toggling was necessary. There is no other track and both subtitles and closed captioning are unavailable, which is disappointing.

I should also note that the sound on the bonuses is decent save for the 1963 G.I. Joe Toy Fair Promotion featurette. This had a lot of static and crackling, showing the age of the video. If you are sensitive to buzzing, static-filled sounds, you might want to skip this featurette.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The Shout! Factory Trailer Collection shows trailers for the following Shout! Factory DVD releases. Trailers are available for Transformers: The Complete First Season (25th Anniversary Edition) and Oban: Star Racers two volume set.

There are a series of bonus features that are available across the four discs. The first three feature a three part interview with the original G.I. Joe writer, Ron Friedman. Friedman helped to create these characters and established the series for other writers. He is incredibly insightful, and these featurettes were great. The fourth disc has the most bonus features. There are PSAs, commercials, and a toy promotion video. While those three sections aren’t substancial, overall, the bonuses are decent.

DISC ONE

“Looking Back with Writer Ron Friedman, Part One”: This is a featurette discussion with the original G.I. Joe writer, Ron Friedman, about the show and his ideas when creating, writing and developing it. Friedman starts by discussing why he wrote the opening, which explains who the Joes and Cobra are. He talks about G.I. Joe being the real American hero. The antagonist is this evil, terrorist organization. There is no good in Cobra. Friedman’s job was to find a conflict that every character could be a part of; a visual experience that is inspired by the ideas of Alfred Hitchcock. It really is a show of Light vs. Dark or Good vs. Evil. There is no doubt who the good guys and bad guys are and G.I. Joe personifies that. Friedman is very direct in his approach. He had a vision for this show, and he played it out with an idea that would grab young people’s attention in a fun and realistic way. He put traits that kids identify with (heroism, a sense of identity) into his characters and that is why G.I. Joe was a success.

DISC TWO

“Looking Back with Writer Ron Friedman, Part Two”: This is the second part in a three part series with G.I. Joe writer, Ron Friedman. In this featurette, Friedman talks about how he avoided writing animation, because animators were being scorned. Hasbro wanted someone who wasn’t writing animation. They wanted someone writing ‘real television’ and Friedman struck their fancy. He wanted to make the characters real characters and make kids fall in love with them. He had to create characters kids would want to know. There had to be a family structure. Every family has a Big Mama, Big Daddy, and a crazy Uncle. Cobra’s Big Daddy was Destro. Everyone has that family dynamic. Every family has a weasel as Cobra has Zartan.

Then there were partners like chatty Shipwreck and silent Snake Eyes. The champagne villian is Baroness. The Hitler of the group is Cobra Commander. There were no weasels among the Joes. Big families of good guys and big families of bad guys made up the show. He created little triads and pairs so the audience would get to know the characters and they could play off each other. He based Shipwreck off Jack Nicholson. Voice actors are very important. It’s not easy to be a voice actor. In Old Hollywood, every actor came out of live audience, burlesque, etc. Actors had to be able to project so every actor had a voice (characteristic presentation). You could recognize actors by their voice. Voice actors have to do what Golden Hollywood actors had to do to make it as actors. This featurette is the best of the three in this series of featurettes. It’s also the most informative.

DISC THREE

“Looking Back with Writer Ron Friedman, Part Three”: This is the third section of the interview featurette with Ron Friedman. In this section he talks about how he’s teaching screenwriting and how students who grew up watching G.I. Joe show up in his class wanting him to sign G.I. Joe DVDs/memorabilia. He thought he’d be remembered for his theatre work, but this is his legacy. Friedman talks about how much writing means to him and how much he is a product of the media he’s seen, read, and heard. He talks about the vision he has of a hero, especially as displayed in this show. He feels he’s honored the belief that television is meant to make you feel good, and that’s what he puts into every show he writes. Ron Friedman is a very interesting, direct, and well spoken man. These featurettes are brief, but telling.

DISC FOUR

“Knowing is Half the Battle PSAs”: These are PSAs that aired when G.I. Joe was on television in the 80s. You have the option to Play All, or select individual PSAs. Your choices are Alpine: What to do When You’re Lost, Barbecue: What to do if Your House is on Fire, Deep Six: Don’t Swim When its Storming, Mutt: Don’t Pet Strange Dogs, Quick Kick: Take Your Time When Building Your Tree House, Spirit: What to do if You Catch on Fire and Torpedo: How to Tread Water. The entire premise is that now these kids know how to be safe and “knowing is half the battle.” The quality of these PSAs are pretty good. It looks like they’ve been cleaned up. They have a bright, 80s, animation feel to them. Like most PSAs from the 80s, they’re pretty cheesy. Each one doesn’t even last a minute in length, but I guess the studios figured us kids would rather learn from our G.I. Joe heroes then our parents!

Archival Hasbro Toy Commercials: There are three G.I. Joe TV Spots. You have the option to Play All or you can play each one individually. Your options are “Collection,” ‘Breaker and the Rapid Fire Motorcycle,” and “Polar Battle Bear”. These commercials have not been cleaned up at all. They are presented in a poor quality. These look about as good as they did when they aired in the 80s. This isn’t that entertaining though it is fun to see how retro these commercials are. You’ll probably only watch them once.

1963 G.I Joe Toy Fair Presentation: This presentation is in very poor quality. This shows the evolution of G.I. Joe from the original action figures into the cartoon it has become. The model for G.I. Joe is much different than the Joes in the cartoon, since these G.I. Joes were modeled after WWII soldiers, and were the boy’s answer to Barbie. This is an interesting feature worth watching once!

Printable Jungle Trap Script: You can load this up into your CD-Rom and then print this out through your computer.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
I really like the story behind G.I. Joe. This cartoon is one of the better written, less cheesy shows from the 80s. I’m in my late 20s and this cartoon managed to hold my interest. I have no doubt kids will love G.I. Joe. There is lots of action, the plot isn’t dumbed down, and the storyline has an actual plot. There is nothing bad about this series, and in my opinion, I don’t feel it promotes or glorifies war. Whether you are an old fan of G.I. Joe or you’re looking for a new, decent, well written cartoon for your children to watch, you will want to pick up a copy of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1. This set by Shout! Factory is excellent, and comes highly recommended!

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: DVD Review, G.I. Joe A Real American Hero, Season 1.1, Shout Factory, Classic Cartoons, 80s, Cartoons, Cobra, Duke, Snake Eyes, Revenge of Cobra, Miniseries

Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.